Trobar Help

© 1996-2026 Kathryn Klingebiel

Welcome to Trobar! This page will help you get started using the Trobar database.

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Basic Search

Wildcards

Search Results

Object Types

Advanced Search

Examples

Glossary

 
Basic Search

Type any part of a name and click Search. For example enter "guil" to find:

  • Guilhem Ademar
  • Arnaut Guillem de Marsan
  • Aimeric de Peguilhan
Try it:
Asterisk

Use * to match any number of characters. For example enter "mer*bel" to find:

  • Aimeric de Belenoi
  • Aymeric de bell enuech
  • N'Aimerics de Belenuei
Try it:
Underscore

Use _ to match any one character. For example enter "12_0/01/01" to find:

  • 1200/01/01
  • 1210/01/01
  • 1220/01/01
Try it:
Search Results

A search retrieves a list of objects. Click any object to view detailed information.

Try it:
Object Types

Objects are color-coded by type:

  • Person
    		• Person such as a troubadour, noble, or scholar
  • Organization
    		• Organization such as a government, association, or publisher
  • Information
    		• Abstract content such as a poem, vida, or secondary reference
  • Media
    		• Physical medium such as a manuscript, folio, or book
  • Text
    		• Text value such as a name, adjective, or description
  • Date
    		• Date value in the format Year/Month/Day
  • Number
    		• Numeric value such as 1, 2, or 1000
  • Attribute
    		• Property or relationship describing other objects
Advanced
Search

Click the "Advanced" link to search using additional criteria:

  • Type
    		• Find objects of the selected Type
  • Attribute
    		• Find objects that have the selected Attribute
  • Value
    		• Find Values that match the specified wildcard pattern

Try it: Advanced Search
Examples

Click one of the following links to launch an advanced search:

Glossary

Attribute

Property or Relationship describing an Object such as an Entity or Value. Attributes can be read out as a sentence with a Subject, verb clause, and one or more Modifiers. For example: Peire D'Alvernhe Person Created Chantarai d'aquestz Information.

Attributes are themselves Objects and may be described by other Attributes. An Attribute describing another Attribute is called a Meta Attribute. For example: Bibliographie der Troubadours Information Asserts Peire D'Alvernhe Person Created Chantarai d'aquestz Information.
Date Date Value in the format Year/Month/Day such as 1194/12/31 Date.
Entity Unique Object of type Person, Organization, Information, or Media. Entities are typically referred to by proper nouns such as Aimeric Person, University of Hawaii Organization, Chantarai d'aquestz Information, or MS A Media.
Format

Structured set of Components that organizes the Values in a Property.

A Property may support multiple Formats, each containing different Components. For example the "Date, Birth" Property supports two Formats:

  • Date, Certain
    		•  Single Date component. Used when the date is known exactly to the day.
  • Date, Uncertain
    		•  Separate Earliest and Latest Date components that define a range. Used when the date is known only approximately.
Information Abstract content such as a poem, vida, or secondary reference.
Media Physical medium such as a manuscript, folio, or book.
Modifier The Modifier in an Attribute is an Object which provides information about the Attribute's Subject. See Subject for more.
Number Numeric value such as 1 Number, 2 Number, or 1000 Number.
Object Everything in the Trobar database is an Object. Objects come in several types within 3 major categories: Entity, Value, and Attribute. Most of the information in Trobar is made up of Attribute Objects that describe Entity Objects by associating them with other Value or Entity Objects. Clicking an Object opens a page that provides detailed information about that Object. Objects are color-coded by Type for easy identification. See Type for more information about Object Types.
Oranization Organization such as a library, school, or publisher.
Person Person such as a troubadour, noble, or scholar.
Property Attribute that describes an Entity by associating it with one or more Values. For example: Peire D'Alvernhe Person Date, Birth 1194/12/31 Date
Relationship Attribute that describes an Entity by relating it to another Entity. For example: Peire D'Alvernhe Person Created Chantarai d'aquestz Information.
Subject The Subject of an Attribute is typically an Entity which is described by association with one or more other Modifier Objects.

A Property typically includes an Entity Subject and one or more Value Modifiers. For example the Entity Peire D'Alvernhe Person is the Subject and the Value 1194/12/31 Date is the Modifier in the Property: Peire D'Alvernhe Person Date, Birth 1194/12/31 Date.

A Relationship typically includes an Entity Subject and an Entity Modifier. For example the Entity Peire D'Alvernhe Person is the Subject and the Entity Chantarai d'aquestz Information is the Modifier in the Relationship: Peire D'Alvernhe Person Created Chantarai d'aquestz Information.

The role of Subject in a Relationship depends on the direction in which the Attribute is read. For example Chantarai d'aquestz Information is the Subject when the preceding Relationship is read in reverse: Chantarai d'aquestz Information Created by Peire D'Alvernhe Person.
Text Text value such as a name, adjective, or description
Type

Objects come in different Types that form a hierarchy:

Object
      Entity
            Person Person such as a troubadour, noble, or scholar
            Organization Organization such as a library, school, or publisher
            Information Abstract content such as a poem, vida, or secondary reference
            Media Physical medium such as a manuscript, folio, or book
      Value
            Text Text value such as a name, adjective, or description
            Number Numeric value such as 1, 2, or 1000
            Date Date Value in the format Year/Month/Day such as 1194/12/31
      Attribute
            Property Attribute that describes an Entity by associating it with one or more Values
            Relationship Attribute that describes an Entity by relating it to another Entity

You can filter by Type when performing an advanced search. An object's Type also determines which types of Attribute it may have. For example an Object of Type Person can be the Subject of a Property and can participate in a Relationship, whereas an Object of Type Number might be the Modifier in a Property describing a Person.
Value Object of type Text, Number, or Date. Values are typically referred to by common nouns such as Trobador Text, 100 Number, or 1194/12/31 Date.